Mama D's Avon Page

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Monday, July 26, 2010

Piggy Paint is nail polish that is all natural and chemical free! Something important to think about when painting the piggies of our babies!

On Wed. July 28 & Thursday, July 29 FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING and ½ price shipping to Canada + use our Facebook/Twitter coupon sparkle15l for an ADDITIONAL 15% off your entire product order total PP ♥'s our fans!!This is a FIRST for us to have this... FREE SHIPPING special so STOCK UP!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Starting today through July 24th, I am going to have an Online party with Avon! Thank you in advance in your orders and please note that 5% of the sales will go to support my wonderful friend Elizabeth and her sister Catherine on their Susan G. Komen 3 day Walk for a Cure in honor of their mother. Please remember to select Direct Delivery as your option for shipping so the products will go directly to you! When you use the promotional code SUMMERFS13 at checkout a percentage of the sales will go to support Liz and Catherine’s cause. Thanks for your support and happy shopping!!Kelly

This past weekend I went to a wonderful shower luncheon for one of my very best friends! She is having a boy and stuck with the blue theme while decorating her gift; as a special gift for her I picked some blue and purple hydrangeas from our garden and tied them in blue tulle for her! I did a small bouquet for her little girl as well so she would have something special!!

Friday, July 16, 2010

I had a wonderful lunch with a wonderful friend today who is due in a couple months, we got to talking about her hospital stay and it inspired me to come up with a list that helped me out. Now this list has been passed on to many mama's to be but it wasn't done all by myself. During my pregnancy with SBG, I asked every girlfriend I knew who had given birth to send me their hospital bag list, so thanks to all of them!!! Here are some ideas from the girls and some ideas of my own. Please post what you thought was helpful during your stay at the hospital and many things you wish you had but forgot!!

7) Hair dryer (even if you do not use one bring one for drying hair if you have a c-section. my hospital did not have one)

8) Laptop

9) Number for your pharmacy

10) Outfits for baby-- The outfit we had was way too big for our baby boy, pack at least one cute preemie outfit for the photo. (Just in case!)

11) Phone List

12) Pillow

13) PJ's-get a dark color and don't spend too much money. A nightgown is preferable b/c they do check you during the night. I also had a pair of silk pajamas and I wore those pants home!! ( I call those babies my Brenda Walsh jammies) :)

14) Plenty of hair ties

15) Pre-printed list of all your important information to give to the hospital staff when you check in.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

June 24, 2010Vacations!Now my experience with traveling on vacations is with one SBG, only been three times, and only in a car! (these trips ranged from about 12-15 hours.) But I thought of some things that I have learned along the way to make traveling a little easier. I will be referring to your little one as SB (Sweet Baby!)

•Diapers/WipesInstead of packing diapers bags and losing your mind trying to find them when you hit a rest stop buy a new package of each and have them in a central location in the car. This way if there is a diaper change, a food spill, any reason that a wipe/Diaper would be needed you know where they are in the car.

•Extra change of clothes (or 3) ☺

•Grocery shopping bags-Have as MANY as you can in the car! These can be used for many things. Getting rid of dirty diapers, garbage in the car, did I say dirty diapers! ☺

•Surprise Vacation Bag-have a bag full of fun car items for SB in case boredom erupts! A friend of mind played a game with her older son that every time they saw a State Trooper and pointed it out he would get something out of the “vacation bag!” For the younger kids, they can get a "prize" every 20 minutes, or every time you travel through a state line, national park, or just see something awesome, a new toy is given! We started one for SBG; I raided the dollar store and got soft books, stickers, and some games that have lots of buttons, crayons, and coloring books. Also, go to kid websites like Nick Jr.; they have great coloring pages but also summer ideas and songs that you can use in the car to keep everyone happy.

•Music-take along some of SB’s very CD’s to keep them entertained.

•BabyLegs! Oh Yes, the SPF legs will be on SBG for our trip this summer. The sun can hit you in the car at different times, gives you some piece of mind that your precious SB won’t get a car tan!!

•If you have a tray or something that your SB can use to color, play games, or just bang their hands up and down for self-amusement.

The most important thing is to HAVE FUN! SBG’s daddy always says that getting there is part of the vacation, so have fun, travel safe, and enjoy the ride!!! I would love to hear your travel tips, so please post them below.-Mama D

Saturday, June 5, 2010

I think this is going to be a great summer and to make it even better I have a giveaway thanks to B Crazi Bows! You can win this adorable bow by writing a comment (and your email address) of your must have summer item, or great idea for traveling in the car for you or for baby! SBG will pick the winner at random on Sunday evening so have your entries in by 6pm Sunday, June 6th!

Here are some items that I have found helpful for last summer when SBG was a little over a year old!

We used the catalog One-Step-Ahead for her swimsuit. She wore the Sun Smarties UPF 50+ Zip Up Surf Suit . She wore the all summer long and she loved it, it was quick and easy to get her in and out even when it was wet from the pool.

Also from One-Step-Ahead, we bought Sun Smarties™ Adjustable Swim Diaper it is environmentally friendly, and there was no soggy mess that you might get with a disposable diaper.

Water socks by www.SunGrubbies.com, they are wonderful! We had two pairs for her and they were used at the beach and the pool. A very durable product, it protected her feet from the sun but also from outside elements like sharp shells or the hot concrete at the pool.

Her summer hat was an SPF hat from Babies R’ Us, love this product and so happy it still fits her for this year. For vacation, we purchased the PeaPod Plus Infant Travel Bed from One-Step-Ahead. This tent was safe and secure for SBG. It packs up nicely and is very compact; a nice bonus is that is comes with its own pump. I do remember having to watch the video to close and “fold” up the tent; it did take a few times but worth it. I will be very interesting to see how she does in it this year.

This summer!This year we wanted to try something different for the diaper cover. I went to Babies R’ Us and found their diaper covers, I went with the next size up of XXL and it was the perfect fit! I do wish they had a linking in the cover but all in all a great product and it was only $3.99!

Can’t wait to read all of your great suggestions and don’t forget your sun tan lotion!!!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

As Mama's we are all so busy these days, it is nice to know that AVON is a great website to find great beauty, clothing, and even shoe products just for you! AVON is also great for shower favor ideas at great prices! You could get The Avon Mini Creamy body washes #(437-640)for as low as .89! The Avon NATURALS Mini Shower Gel for also as low as .89! Pair them with a Avon Poof or even some fun Avon Lip Balms or Hand lotions! Something cute to add as a favor or a baby shower gift would be the Avon Avon Kids Bath Time Body Paints!! What a fun gift for baby. A special gift for mom could be the Avon Baby Booties Pendant Necklace, a special way to honor mom and it is on sale for $4.99!! The website is easy to use and shipping is quick at your door. I hope you enjoy the new website, and you take the time to pamper yourself, have fun! I hope to hear from you soon.Take care,Mama Dhttp://kdegroot.avonrepresentative.com/

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Here are some things that have helped me when going out and about with SBG and wanted to pass them on to you! Please share any suggestions you may have too!!

1) Grocery Cart Cover-these things are awesome! Gives Mama piece of mind from germs but baby has fun too. I actually have a vinyl one for SBG that we got from Target, cleans super easy.

2) Always park next to the grocery cart "holders" in the parking lot; they have these anywhere carts are used for shopping like Walmart, Target, or your local grocery store. It is so much easier to get baby in and out when you are right next to your cart, then at the end of shopping trip you and baby have easy access to the cart/car and don't have to worry about taking it the whole back to another cart holder.

3) Try to keep a clean sippy cup, blankets, diapers, and extra toys in the car. I don't always have this when I need it but when I do am I glad!! In case you are on your way to Grandma's and forgot a sippy cup at least you have piece of mind you have one stashed in the car.

4) One way I keep SBG distracted in the car if she is getting bored is to count the signs and ask what color they are; we may have a game of count all the green signs, I count and she gets a kick out of finding all of them.

5) I watched an episode of Super Nanny where she had the kids play grocery store at home and let the kids have a "list," I have to say, the woman knows what she is talking about, great transition for the kids to enjoy the store!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Congrats to Christa!! SBG picked your name out of the basket!! Thanks to everyone who entered with all of the wonderful comments and suggestions for all of our Mama's out there!! Thanks again to BabyLegs for supporting The Blog!!Mama D

Sunday, May 16, 2010

MAY 19TH: BabyLegs giveaway today on the Blog!! Write a comment on the latest post below about helpful Mama items, and one winner will be picked randomly tonight! Make sure to leave your email so I can contact the winner! It is for an adorable pair of pink BabyLegs!!

A college friend of mind gave me a great idea for the Blog this week! She suggested to write about items that worked during and after the pregnancy. I thought, what a fabulous idea! So, as I sit on the balcony on this beautiful Spring evening with SBG playing in her sandbox I had some time to think about my most helpful item...The Snoogle Pillow. I bought this at Target towards the end of my pregnancy and it helped me so much when I slept, it became even a bigger help when I came home from the hospital for a lot of reasons; 1) I had a c-section, if you have been through the surgery any type of movement is hard so the extra support in bed was great. 2) Nursing and bottle feedings, it was a nice extra support along with the Boppy 3) Comfort, I used the Snoogle until it was deflated of any "pillowness!!" Please leave your comments of what helped you out on your journey, I am sure the other Mama's would love to read your story.Until Next Week,Mama D--The one thing that made me feel normal again after having the baby was the Belly Band. After coming home from the hospital and feeling like my emotions were off the charts I just wanted to feel like myself again. I was able to use the Bellyband and were my own jeans and pants and it just made me feel normal. I used the Bellyband while I was pregnant in those ackward days when you are not big enough for maternity clothes yet but your own clothes are not fitting either and then used it again after the baby. "Mama N"

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Wow! So many great entries and reasons to use or give the BabyLegs! Our winner was decided by SBG picking a name our of her pink sand bucket! She proudly handed me the name with Kelly K on it! Congrats Kelly and I hope you enjoy the BabyLegs. There will be another BabyLeg giveaway coming soon! Thanks to BabyLegs for helping us out with this event, www.babylegs.com.-Mama D

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The gift that every mother needs but does not know it…yet!The Fisher-Price Soothing Motions GliderA co-worker of mine told me about this item when I was pregnant and I thought “Sure, I’ll add it to the registry and see if we get it!” Well, we did and I have to say I could not have lived without this item. Why? I had a c-section and it was almost impossible for me to bend. This piece has a large base that can be put on any sturdy table and it made it possible for me to lift SBG out of the glider easily. The back and forth motion kept SBG happy for hours. The other plus was that the first few nights at home she slept in it. Even though her bassinet was tiny it was still a big space for someone who was used to being in a nice secure tight area for 9 months. The Motion Glider was a great transition piece (I cried when she grew out of it). Currently, I have only been able to find it online at www.babiesrus.com.

Shower-themed gift ideasI love getting a baby shower invitation in the mail because my mind starts turning of what ideas I can put together for the very special Mama-to-be. Here are just a few of my own ideas. Two items I always include are baby mittens (mittens for Mama’s kitten!) and at least one book for baby.

**-BTW, if you use any of these ideas please email me photos and I will gladly post them on my blog! rainprint2003@yahoo.com

-Holiday Baby Clothes: A fun gift to give is one that includes holiday-themed outfits, bibs, socks, onesies, and picture frames; anything that says “Baby’s 1st…” I remember trying to find every holiday outfit for SBG at the last minute, even bibs to mark her first holiday, but I quickly found that there is enough to worry about during the holidays. Do your Mama-to-be a favor and give the new mom one less thing to put on her future holiday to-do lists.

-College/University Outfits: It is a given; if you went to college with me you are getting a St. Vincent College baby item at your shower! Even get one for dad’s Alma mater too. These always get a great crowd reaction!

-Rock ‘n Roll Baby: Nothing gets more “oooh’s and ahh’s” at a shower than the gift that is “different.” A great company called RockaBye Baby (http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/) takes songs from popular artists and turns them into lullabies. I actually bought the Nirvana CD for my husband to give to him on the day of our shower. Get one (or 2) of these CD’s of the mom and dad’s favorite group, and make it perfect with a onesie or bib with the band logo.

-Picture Basket: Fill a basket with picture frames and photo albums of all sizes. Add a gift certificate to a portrait session, give a gift certificate to an online photo company for Mama to purchase photos of her new baby at no charge, or purchase a gift certificate to www.babyhomepages.net; this is a website where Mama and Dad can create their own website for their family. I am a huge fan and member. We started ours for SBG while I was pregnant and it is such a treasure to have all those memories in one place.

-Diapers: Diapers are an essential item for any Mama. Buy Mama multiple packages of diapers in ALL sizes (it is always nice to have the next size up already on hand when you need them) and throw in some wipes too. You can wrap it up like a pyramid or put them in red wagon with a bow. That would surely get quite a crowd reaction.

It is always fun to know the gender when shopping for a shower gift:

Girl Theme: A fun idea for a Mama who is having a girl is to get super girly for the gift. Yes, pink dresses and outfits are a must, but also put in baby-girl’s first baby doll or Barbie, cute hats, bathing suits, pink sippy cups and bibs. But most of all, don’t forget the best part: HAIR ACCESSORIES! My absolute new favorite company is B-Crazi’s Bowtique. The customer service is excellent and the turnaround is fast. She does custom hair bows and her prices are reasonable. I found her at http://www.facebook.com/bcrazis and she was able to show me my bow before she mailed it. The day I received the bow I immediately ordered up another one!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Hello and Welcome to my new Blog! I wanted to start this blog because I wanted to share some of my experiences with parents, siblings, grandparents, and anyone else who might need some advice on baby items, experience, and great baby gift-giving ideas! I am a proud mama of my incredible two-year-old daughter Charleston, who I will refer to as “sweet baby girl” (or SBG). I hope you enjoy our adventures and maybe we can help you out somehow along the way!

Practical baby items that also make great gifts.Anytime, a friend of mine tells me the exciting news that they are expecting I always send them my “Must-List!” This is a list of great websites and baby items that I could not live without. It also includes just fun websites that I found during my 9-month journey with sweet baby girl. I send the “Must-List” to friends of mine who found out they have a sister or friend expecting, just in case they are looking for some great gift ideas.

My top two favorite sites are www.mom4life.com and www.babylegs.com. This is why: Mom4life.com is a website for moms solely made up of products that are made by moms. Plus, they have free shipping on all of their products! But more importantly, I love looking at this site to see the newest products out there because this site helps lend credibility to new mama products. I also appreciate all of the BPA-free and green products they list.

Two of my favorite items offered on Mom4life.com were Smart Mom Donut Shaped Teething Pendant and the Raz-Berry Teether by Razbaby.

The teething pendant was so incredible. It is a teether that is designed to look like jewelry and is attached to a rope necklace so mama can effortlessly keep the teether from being thrown or dropped onto the floor. Sweet baby girl started to use it when she was about 6 months old; I remember I picked my Christmas Eve outfit out to match my pendant. It was a great accessory but also kept sweet baby girl very happy.

Not only are the Raz-Berry teethers truly adorable and a shower gift hit, they are practical as well. Anytime new teeth started to come in for SBG I gave her the Raz-Berry teether and it would calm her down. A lot of drool, to be sure, but worth it to see her distracted from the pain. Even at two-years-old it still comes in handy. It is a great gift because it can be used at all different teething stages.

Now, my other top pick for practical use and an awesome baby gift idea are BabyLegs! Oh, I cannot rave about this product enough. They are great for both boys and girls and have multiple uses, which I have listed below. Sweet baby girl has eczema; anytime the “Itchies” started we would put on her BabyLegs on her arms and her legs to keep her from scratching, which would help ease the pain. Here were my other great uses for BabyLegs:• Doctor’s office: You know how they make you change the baby out of their clothes and down to their diaper once you enter the examination room? I always pack a pair of BabyLegs for after her weight check to keep her warm in the doctor’s office. She always gets lots of compliments from the nurses and her doctor!• Summer time: BabyLegs have these amazing leg warmers called BabyLegs Cool; they have 50+ UV protection and are made of a different material to keep your little one “cooler.” Not only do we use these on vacation to protect her fair skin from the sun but we also use them in the car on sunny days to protect her legs and arms from the sun and prevent sunburn while she is in her car seat.• Cool weather: I use them under skirts or dresses in case the weather is not quite warm enough no matter what time of year. And sometimes I’ll even put them over her tights if there happens to be a certain look I want her to have. Especially with a holiday outfit.• Diaper changes: This is especially helpful for us with an eczema breakout to prevent her from itching her legs or arms while having her diaper changed. • Bathtime: They keep her warm after a bath before we put on her pajamas and they are quick and easy to get on and off. • They just look great: A great and fun product for mama’s who want their babies to be stylish and at a reasonable price.